1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for assembling a shaft which comprises a tubular bar-shaped base member and individual ring-like elements received on the base member. The term "ring-like element" is used herein to denote an element which has a hole therethrough which allows the element to be slid on to the base member for fixing to the exterior surface of the base member. Such a shaft may be a camshaft but the elements may be, for example, gears or bearing bushes.
2. Description of Prior Art
From West German Patent Application 38 12 353 A1, there is known a method in which cams are lined up at identical angles on one end of a tubular member, are gripped individually or in pairs by mechanical means, and are moved along the tubular member into the axial position required for fixing purposes, i.e. soldering or welding. The angular position required relative to the tubular member is achieved in that, for fixing purposes, the latter is turned into the required position relative to the axially moved cam so that the required angular position is achieved. Gripping and fixing elements in pairs is possible only if, especially in the case of camshafts for engines having more than two valves per cylinder, adjoining cams are in the same angular position. The method and apparatus provided for such purposes are not suitable for producing those camshafts in which all elements slid on to the base member are to be secured in one single operation. In particular, this applies to producing assembled camshafts by hydraulically expanding a tubular member in sections relative to the slid-on cams.